Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers
Traverse City, Mich. — On May 11th, 2026, Flow Water Advocates (“Flow”) and Sierra Club filed an amici curiae, or friend of the court, brief in support of the State of Michigan’s appeal of a federal court’s failure to recognize and uphold an essential attribute of state sovereignty — the public trust doctrine. Flow and… Read more »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 7, 2026 Lansing, Mich. — Today in the Michigan Senate, Sen. Sam Singh (D-28) introduced legislation to address Michigan’s persistent, underfunded water infrastructure needs and support safe, affordable drinking water for all Michigan residents. MWTFA Fact Sheet (PDF) Email your Senator The Michigan Water Trust Fund Act (SB 950 & 951)… Read more »
On Earth Day — a time meant to focus on protecting our water and natural resources—the House Natural Resources and Tourism Committee held a hearing on a package of wetland bills, including HB 5501, 5502, 5536, 5556, and 5082. Instead of strengthening protections, these bills would weaken safeguards that have been in place for decades. Just… Read more »
If any state has a reason to be on guard for drinking water contamination, it’s Michigan. Ten years ago, headlines around the world cast attention to the lead contamination of Flint’s drinking water. Flint residents were advised not to drink the municipal tap water unless it had been filtered through an approved filter certified to… Read more »
SAVE THE DATES CEIC members are holding a public information meeting on May 20, 5:30 to 7:30 and May 30, 1 to 3pm at White Lake Community Library. Presentations will be the same, so no need to go to both. On Thursday, June 11, 5:30 to 7:30pm EGLE will present at NBC Middle School. It… Read more »
Traverse City, Mich. — In a victory for the State of Michigan and its allies opposing the continued operation of the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac, the Supreme Court of the United States has issued a unanimous decision that Nessel v. Enbridge will be heard in state rather than federal court…. Read more »
Get the press release In early 2025, Flow and students from the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) graduate program teamed up for a 16-month initiative to examine Michigan’s groundwater management and propose a statewide strategy to ensure long-term, sustainable groundwater governance. Protecting and managing groundwater is particularly complex given the lack… Read more »
Environmental groups are criticizing new Great Lakes progress reports published by the Canadian and US governments for failing to confront serious ecological problems, and for a weak commitment to the Great Lakes agreement that requires the reporting. The two reports, one on the state of the Great Lakes and the other on efforts by the… Read more »
The number of Michigan public beach closures and health advisories remained stable in 2025, according to statistics reported by the Michigan Department of the Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). There were 231 beach closures and advisories, compared to 230 in 2024. Bacterial contamination was responsible for most of the advisories. In all, public beaches… Read more »
News from Progress Michigan Contact: Levi Teitel, levi@progressmichigan.org Contact: Megan Kelto, megan@flowwateradvocates.org April 14, 2026 MICHIGAN – Recent polling released by Progress Michigan shows that 75 percent of Michiganders support enacting a statewide septic code. In January, state Sen. Sam Singh introduced a bill (SB 771) that would do exactly that. If the bill passes… Read more »
